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49-464: Though they are sometimes erroneously referred to as "Hall of Famers", honorees are not inducted into the Hall of Fame. Honorees (if living) give a speech at the Hall of Fame during induction weekend, and their names are added to a plaque in the Hall's library. As of 2024, none of the winners of the award have gone on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Detail on the selection process for the award when it

98-628: A pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals . He opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota , where he was a three-year starter for the Minnesota Golden Gophers . Molitor earned All-American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore year. Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Molitor suffered a broken jaw. With his jaw wired shut for eight weeks, Molitor lost 40 pounds (18 kg). After his junior year in college,

147-452: A shortstop , then moved to second base when Robin Yount returned from a brief injury. He made his MLB debut in 1978, playing in 125 games and hitting .273 with six home runs, 45 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. In 1981, he spent time at center field and right field to avoid the injuries associated with infield play. Molitor was moved to third base before the 1982 season. Molitor was part of

196-415: A .306 batting average, and 504 stolen bases . His 3,319 hits rank him ninth all-time. In addition, he batted .368 in five postseason series, and was an all-star seven times. Molitor recorded these statistics while missing nearly 500 games due to various injuries throughout his career. In 1999, Molitor ranked No. 99 on The Sporting News ' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and he was nominated as

245-642: A DH all season, Molitor played Game 3 of the World Series at first base and Games 4 and 5 at third base in the games played at Philadelphia. In 1994, a strike-shortened season, Molitor hit .341 and led the AL in games played (115) and singles (107). He also stole 20 bases that season without ever being caught, one short of Kevin McReynolds ' 1988 major league record of 21. Molitor's average dropped to .270 in 1995, his lowest mark in more than ten years. He left

294-570: A baseball broadcaster. The Frick Award has been presented at the annual summer induction ceremonies since 1978. It recognizes a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball". The recipients are not members of the Hall of the Fame, merely featured in a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Museum, but writers and broadcasters commonly call them "Hall of Fame broadcaster" or words to that effect. Living honorees were members of

343-655: A finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team . Molitor was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. On June 11, 1999, the Brewers retired Molitor's uniform number 4. During the ceremony at Milwaukee County Stadium , Molitor announced that if he went into the Hall of Fame, he would do so as a Brewer. On January 6, 2004, he was elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility, with 85.2% of

392-675: A free agent after the 1992 season, the franchise offered him a one-year contract with a $ 900,000 pay cut (to $ 2.5 million), while the Toronto Blue Jays offered a three-year, $ 13 million deal (equivalent to $ 27.42 million in 2023), leading to his signing with the Blue Jays. Agent Ron Simon said, "I was also talking with Milwaukee, but it became clear to us that Milwaukee didn't have the same kind of interest in signing Molitor, perhaps because of their financial situation." Molitor quickly became an offensive juggernaut. In 1993, Molitor led

441-434: A hamstring injury, returned for a few days, then reinjured it. He played in 105 games that season. Molitor attracted national media attention in 1987 during his 39-game hitting streak . Near the end of the streak, columnist Mike Downey wrote that "the amazing thing about Paul Molitor's recent bat-o-rama is not that he has hit in 33 straight games but that he has played in 33 straight games." The streak ended with Molitor in

490-658: A lifetime .300+ batting average , and 500+ career stolen bases . Molitor grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota before beginning his MLB career. After his retirement as a player, he served as a coach for the Seattle Mariners and the Twins. In 2004 , he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players enshrined after spending

539-436: A research committee at the museum: Ken Coleman , Jack Graney , Graham McNamee , Hal Totten , Gene Elston , France Laux and Ty Tyson . Three additional candidates – Joe Nuxhall , Dave Niehaus and Lon Simmons – were selected in voting by over 105,000 fans prior to November 2003 at the Hall's official website [2] . On February 26, Lon Simmons was announced as the 2004 recipient [3] ; an original voice of

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588-621: A screening committee, whose last appearance was in 1998. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote. Voters were instructed to cast votes for up to 10 candidates; any candidate receiving votes on at least 75% of the ballots would be honored with induction to the Hall. Results of the 2004 election by the BBWAA were announced on January 6. The ballot consisted of 32 players; 506 ballots were cast, with 380 votes required for election. A total of 3314 individual votes were cast, an average of 6.55 per ballot. Those candidates receiving less than 5% of

637-537: A significant portion of his career as a designated hitter . He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team . On November 3, 2014, Molitor was announced as the 13th manager of the Twins. He managed the team for four seasons from 2015 to 2018. Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota . After graduating from Cretin High School , he was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 MLB draft as

686-565: A young Milwaukee Brewers team that lost the 1982 World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals . Molitor batted .355 during the series. In Game 1, he had five hits, a World Series record. During the 1982 season, he hit .302 and led the American League (AL) with 136 runs scored. On May 12, he hit three home runs against the Royals in a 9-7 loss. Molitor struggled with injuries for much of his early career, being placed on

735-414: Is the only player ever to accomplish those feats and hit at least 200 home runs. Molitor is also the first player in World Series history to have at least two home runs, two doubles, and two triples in one series (1993). He is a member of an exclusive club, hitting .300 or better in full seasons across three decades (1970s, 80s, and 90s). He hit better than .300 a dozen times in his career. Including Game 1 of

784-478: The 2008 elections, voting for players on the main Veterans Committee ballot was restricted to Hall of Fame members. After further changes announced for the 2011 elections, Frick Award winners became eligible to serve on the voting bodies that replaced the Veterans Committee that consider candidates from different eras of baseball. Source: 2004 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting Elections to

833-502: The 2014 award, the final election committee no longer selected any of the finalists; that became the role of a Hall of Fame research committee. Other changes in the selection process were also announced for the 2014 award; these changes were similar to those instituted in 2010 for Veterans Committee balloting. From 2014 to 2016, candidates were considered every third year, based on the era in which they made their most significant contributions: The Hall of Fame announced further changes to

882-656: The Baseball Hall of Fame for 2004 proceeded in keeping with rules enacted in 2001. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) held an election to select from recent players; Dennis Eckersley and Paul Molitor gained induction to the Hall. The Veterans Committee did not hold an election; the 2001 rules changes provided that elections for players retired over 20 years would be held every other year, with elections of non-players ( managers , umpires and executives) held every fourth year. The Committee held elections in 2003 in both categories, including players who were active no later than 1981. The next election for players

931-554: The Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed. He made seven All-Star Game appearances, and was the World Series Most Valuable Player in 1993. Molitor currently ranks tenth on the all-time MLB career hits list with 3,319. He is one of only five players in history with 3,000+ hits ,

980-533: The Milwaukee Brewers selected Molitor in the first round, with the third overall selection, in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft . He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career with the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League . In 64 games with Burlington, Molitor hit for a .346 batting average , eight home runs , 50 runs batted in (RBI) and 14 stolen bases . Molitor began as

1029-705: The San Francisco Giants , as well as an announcer for the Oakland Athletics . He called games for 41 years before retiring following the 2002 season. He was selected in a January vote by a 20-member committee composed of the 14 living recipients, along with six additional broadcasting historians or columnists: Bob Costas ( NBC ), Barry Horn ( The Dallas Morning News ), Stan Isaacs (formerly of New York Newsday ), Ted Patterson (historian), Curt Smith (historian) and Larry Stewart ( Los Angeles Times ). Committee members are asked to base

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1078-559: The St. Louis Browns for the St. Louis Globe Democrat . All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to cast ballots in voting conducted by mail in November. On December 17, Murray Chass was announced as the recipient, having received 280 votes out of the 438 ballots cast, with Goddard receiving 98 votes and Burnes receiving 60 [1] . Lon Simmons received the Ford C. Frick Award honoring

1127-754: The Veterans Committee for elections in odd years 2003 to 2007. Three final candidates, selected by a BBWAA committee, were named on July 15, 2003 in Chicago in conjunction with All-Star Game activities; the finalists were: Murray Chass , who covered the New York Yankees for The New York Times ; Joe Goddard, who has long covered the Chicago Cubs and White Sox for the Chicago Sun-Times ; and Bob Burnes , who covered

1176-416: The Veterans Committee for elections in odd years 2003 to 2007. To be eligible, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, a network, or a combination of the two; more than 160 candidates were eligible. On December 11, 2003, 10 finalists were announced. In accordance with guidelines established in 2003, seven were chosen by

1225-437: The disabled list six times between 1980 and 1986. In 1984, Molitor struggled with elbow problems, played in only 13 games and ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery (becoming the first position player to undergo the surgery) in an attempt to salvage his career. He played in 140 games in 1985, hitting .297 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. He followed that with a .281 average, 9 home runs and 55 RBI in 1986. That year he suffered

1274-416: The 1982 World Series, he recorded eight 5-hit games and four 200+ hit seasons in his 21 year major league career. Molitor also compiled 56 4-hit games in his MLB career. As of 2021, Molitor is the last Major League player to execute the rare feat of stealing home plate at least ten times over the course of a career. During the early years of his career, Molitor began using cocaine and marijuana . During

1323-540: The 1998 season was the first in Molitor's career in which he did not reach double-digit stolen base totals. He retired in December, saying, "My heart tells me I've done what I can do on the field and in this game," Molitor said. "I'm happy to leave it playing my last season in a Twins uniform... Now I'm going to redirect my efforts to find out what else the future holds." After retiring as a player, Molitor remained with

1372-561: The AL in plate appearances (725) and hits (211) and hit .332 with 22 home runs and 111 RBI. Returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1982, he was a key part of the Blue Jays' second World Championship . Molitor hit 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 home runs in the Series, earning the World Series MVP Award and tied a World Series record by batting .500 (12-for-24) in the six-game series . In addition, after playing as

1421-405: The BBWAA at the annual summer induction ceremonies since 1962. It recognizes a sportswriter "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing". The recipients are not members of the Hall of the Fame, merely featured in a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Museum, but writers and broadcasters commonly call them "Hall of Fame writers" or words to that effect. Living recipients were members of

1470-443: The Blue Jays after the 1995 season, and joined his hometown Minnesota Twins for the final three seasons of his career, where he acquired his 3,000th hit. He was the first player to reach the 3,000 hits plateau with a triple . Molitor was relishing the opportunity to play with Twins superstar Kirby Puckett , but Puckett developed career-ending glaucoma during spring training in 1996 and never played again. In 1996, Molitor became

1519-482: The Twins as a bench coach for three seasons. He was considered a leading candidate to manage the team when Tom Kelly retired after 2001, but he declined in part because the Twins were still being targeted for potential contraction . Molitor was a hitting coach with the Mariners in 2004. He then spent the 2005 to 2013 seasons in the Twins organization as a minor league baserunning and fielding instructor. Molitor joined

Ford C. Frick Award - Misplaced Pages Continue

1568-724: The Twins back to the postseason after losing 103 games the season prior, the first team in history to achieve this feat, by being named American League Manager of the Year in November 2017. He became only the second person to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player and win the Manager of the Year Award behind Frank Robinson , who was named AL Manager of the Year in 1989 while managing the Baltimore Orioles . On October 2, 2018,

1617-420: The Twins coaching staff in 2014 to oversee baserunning, bunting, infield instruction, and positioning. The Twins hired Molitor to fill their manager vacancy for the 2015 season , and introduced him in a press conference on November 4, 2014. At the end of the 2017 season , the Twins announced that Molitor would receive a three-year contract extension through 2020. Molitor was rewarded for his efforts in leading

1666-513: The Twins fired Molitor as manager, but expressed that they had interest in having him continue to maintain a role with the team in some capacity. He finished with a record of 305 wins and 343 losses in 648 games. Molitor later rejoined the Twins as a special assistant, with roving instructor duties for the team's minor league affiliates. Molitor's lifetime statistics include 2,683 games played, 1,782 runs scored, 3,319 hits, 605 doubles, 114 triples, 234 home runs , 1,307 runs batted in , 1,094 walks,

1715-553: The Year ( Jerome Walton ). Players eligible for the first time who were not included on the ballot were: Rafael Belliard , Greg Cadaret , Tony Castillo , Dave Clark , Joey Cora , Mike Devereaux , Erik Hanson , Xavier Hernandez , Chris Hoiles , Rex Hudler , Pete Incaviglia , Mark Lemke , Nelson Liriano , John Marzano , Tom Pagnozzi , Donn Pall , Mark Parent , Bob Patterson , Billy Ripken , Luis Rivera , Bip Roberts , Craig Shipley , Pete Smith , Bill Swift , Jerome Walton , David West , and Eddie Williams . None of

1764-486: The dangers of drug use. Molitor married Linda Kaplan in 1981, and before their 2003 divorce it was revealed he had fathered a son in an extramarital affair with Joanna Andreou and was paying child support. During his legal separation from Linda, he fathered another child with the woman who would become his second wife, Destini; they had a third child together and later divorced. During his Hall of Fame induction speech, Molitor mentioned his difficult family relationships;

1813-491: The following balloting rotation, which will then repeat: For several years in the early 2000s, Frick Award honorees also became life members of the Veterans Committee , which considers candidates for Hall of Fame induction who are not eligible for the regular voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America – specifically, players no longer on the BBWAA ballot and all non-players. However, starting with

1862-467: The newly-eligible candidates would appear on any future ballots. As expected, Eckersley and Molitor were elected on their first appearance; no other first-timer received the 5% of votes required to remain on the ballot. Murray Chass received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award honoring a baseball writer. (The award was voted at the December 2003 meeting of the BBWAA, dated 2003, and conferred in the summer 2004 ceremonies.) The Spink Award has been presented by

1911-504: The on-deck circle when Rick Manning got a game-ending hit to beat the Cleveland Indians on August 26, 1987. Fans booed Manning for driving in the winning run and thus depriving Molitor of one last chance to reach 40 games. The streak stands as the fifth-longest in modern-day baseball history, and remains the longest since Pete Rose 's 44-game hit streak in 1978. Although Molitor wanted to remain with Milwaukee when he became

1960-512: The second 40-year-old, after Hall of Famer Sam Rice , to have a 200-hit season, leading the league with 225, while also leading the league in singles with 167. Molitor also remains the last MLB player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (nine HR, 113 RBIs). Molitor hit .305 in 1997, his twelfth season to finish with a batting average higher than .300. In 1998, he hit .281 with four home runs, 69 RBI and nine stolen bases. Other than his very brief 1984 season,

2009-650: The selection on the following criteria: longevity; continuity with a club; honors, including national assignments such as the World Series and All-Star Games ; and popularity with fans. Paul Molitor As manager Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed " Molly " and " the Ignitor ", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. During his 21-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for

Ford C. Frick Award - Misplaced Pages Continue

2058-465: The selection process in 2016 that took effect immediately, with the first award affected by these changes being that for 2017. Fan voting was eliminated, and the final ballot was cut from 10 to 8. Candidates were still considered every third year, but in mostly different categories: In April 2022, the Hall of Fame announced further changes to the Frick Award selection process. The size of the ballot

2107-514: The trial of a drug dealer in 1984, Molitor admitted that he had used drugs. Many years later, he said, "There are things you're not so proud of — failures, mistakes, dabbling in drugs, a young ballplayer in the party scene. Part of it was peer pressure. I was young and single, and hung around with the wrong people. ... You learn from it. You find a positive in it. It makes you appreciate the things that are good." He claims to have stopped using drugs in 1981, and has since visited schools to lecture about

2156-453: The vote (25 votes) will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee. Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a dagger (†). The two candidates who received at least 75% of the vote and were elected are indicated in bold italics ; candidates who have since been selected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics . The candidates who received less than 5% of

2205-642: The vote, thus becoming ineligible for future BBWAA consideration, are indicated with an asterisk (*). The newly eligible candidates included 17 All-Stars, five of whom were not on the ballot, who were selected a total of 52 times. While no player was selected more than ten times, Paul Molitor (seven times), Dave Stieb (seven), Dennis Eckersley (six) and Joe Carter (five) were selected five times or more. The field included two Cy Young Award winners (Eckersley and Doug Drabek ), three MVPs (Eckersley, Terry Pendleton and Kevin Mitchell ) and one Rookie of

2254-493: The votes . True to his word, he joined Robin Yount as the only Hall of Famers to be depicted on their plaques with Brewers caps. At the time of his induction, Molitor was the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners . Molitor is one of five players in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 lifetime batting average, and 500 stolen bases. The other four are Ty Cobb , Honus Wagner , Eddie Collins and Ichiro Suzuki . Only Ichiro and Molitor played beyond 1930. Molitor

2303-418: Was first established is lacking. From 2004 to 2016 , fans were allowed to vote for three of the award's ten annual nominees; in the final years of fan voting, it was conducted on the Hall's Facebook page. Through 2013 , seven candidates were selected by a committee consisting of previous Frick Award winners and broadcast historians and columnists, which also determined the final recipient. Beginning with

2352-481: Was in 2005; elections in both categories would again be held in 2007. The induction ceremonies were held on July 25 in Cooperstown , with Commissioner Bud Selig presiding. The BBWAA was again authorized to elect players active in 1984 or later, but not after 1998; the ballot included candidates from the 2003 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by

2401-489: Was restored to 10 nominees, while also requiring that at least one candidate be a foreign-language broadcaster. The election cycle was also revised, effective with the 2023 balloting: four consecutive elections will have a composite ballot of local and national broadcasters, followed by one election for broadcasters whose careers ended prior to 1994 (the introduction of the Wild Card era). Thus, recipients will be selected per

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